Andy Flynn
|assignment=Robbery-Homicide Division (The Closer, Season 1) Major Crimes Division |portrayedby=Anthony Denison |series=''The Closer, ''Major Crimes |firstappearance= |finalappearance= }} Lieutenant Andrew "Andy" Flynn is assigned to the LAPD's Major Crimes Division on The Closer and Major Crimes. Character Information For the most part of season 1 of The Closer, Flynn worked at the Robbery-Homicide Division but was "loaned" by Russell Taylor to Priority Homicide. In , when one of Flynn's old cases was re-investigated and Taylor was prepared to throw him under the bus for misidentifying the victim, he requested a permanent transfer to Brenda's unit. His closest friend is Provenza. In , MCD was called to a scene of a botched grocery store robbery where two suspects were killed and one captured by SIS detectives. Andy entered the police car and talked with the captured robber who was visibly sad over the fate of his friends. Andy reasoned with the man, saying because he surrendered, Andy doesn't want to charge him with murder if he doesn't have to. Andy talks the suspect into striking a deal with the Distict Attorney to give up his friends so he would only get charged with the robberies and not for the murders of his friends, because if anyone is killed in the commission of a felony and even if the police was the one who killed a suspect, it is technically a murder and the remaining suspect(s) can be charged with it. The suspect agreed to the "deal" and Andy exited the car to talk to the other detectives. He wanted someone to pretend to be a Deputy District Attorney, as they are the only ones allowed to make deals and none were present at the scene, but before they were able to spring their plan into action, someone shot the suspect in the police car, causing them to lose their most valuable asset. Later at the morgue, Andy had an angry outburst toward Captain Sharon Raydor because she hasn't bothered to learn the victims' names, and also because every problem MCD has had during the investigation, especially regarding the identities of the robbers, was because of Sharon and the policies she had created at FID that forced Larry Martin to remain on the scene of the crime, which cost him his life. This outburst gave Raydor the idea that the robbers had knowledge of LAPD procedures, as the LAPD is the only police department in the U.S. which would have held Larry Martin at the crime scene. After sharing her thoughts with Andy, they remembered that the original investigating officer, Detective Miller, mentioned he had a son who had served in the military and that every time they were staking out a store in case the robbers showed up, they were somewhere else. Andy combed through the firing range user logs where all of the other victims had been visiting and found Greg Miller's name, the son of Det. Miller, who lives at home. In , when Flynn wanted to open the suspect's purse, which was closed, by claiming it had opened during the car crash, Lt. Provenza told him that they needed a truce with Capt. Raydor and they needed to follow protocol and get a search warrant beforehand so the investigation would not be jeopardized for the sake of the multiple victims. When Flynn finally managed to get a search warrant for the purse, he opened it with Det. Sanchez and the two searched it's contents at the hospital where the suspect was being treated in, during which Raydor arrived and asked Flynn if he had a search warrant. Flynn showed Sharon the warrant and asked her if she though Andy was "new at this", even though he previously wanted to just open the purse without permission. Later, when MCD located Sharon Beck, Rusty's biological mother, everyone gave her money so she could come to Los Angeles by bus. Andy promised to take her and Rusty to dinner and even arranged a hotel room for her. When Flynn and Rusty were waiting for Sharon Beck at the bus station, Flynn found out that she had gotten of the bus at Bakersfield. This caused Rusty to run away after which Flynn broadcasted a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) out for Rusty in hopes of finding him. Lt. Provenza promised Capt. Raydor that they would stay at work until Rusty was found. When Raydor returned home, she found Rusty there waiting for her, giving her great relief, followed by a call to Provenza so they could call of the search for Rusty and go home themselves. In , during the investigation into the murder of a Las Vegas Police Detective, Andy referenced his previous alcoholism; first at the crime scene (night club), stating that he has passed out in many bathrooms in his time but always got up, unlike their victim, and later at the morgue, being able to know that ethylene glycol poisoning is caused by antifreeze. Flynn explained to Provenza that when people stop drinking they throw out all the alcohol. Then, when they get the urge to drink again, they sneak out into the garage and strain the antifreeze thinking it'll be okay to drink and then they end up dead. At the crime scene, he also wondered how the bartenders didn't cut him off (refuse to serve alcohol) if the victim was as drunk as they suspected. Later, when the victim's partner drove to LA from Vegas, Andy was continuosly antagonistic toward him, though the reason was never revealed. The hostility could be explained somewhat by the fact that the victim appeared to be working in LA without notifying the LAPD, and that the victim's partner was somewhat apprehensive about sharing information even though his partner had been murderer. It was later revealed that the murdered detective wasn't in LA working on a case but was rather using one of his ongoing cases as a cover to stalk a woman he had had a one-night stand with in Las Vegas. The victim's partner had also realized this previously but said nothing to the LAPD, all the while Major Crimes was solving his identity theft / credit fraud case. At the end, Major Crimes had caught the detectives' killer (the woman who he was stalking) and the mastermind behind the identity thefts and credit frauds (a university professor operating under false ID), the LAPD turned the professor over to the victim's partner, as they had no evividence he had committed crimes in California. When the detective was leaving with the suspect, the suspect told the detective that he was going to explain Nevada law to him all the way to Las Vegas. From the short interaction the MCD had had with the suspect, they'd came to the conclusion that he was an asshole, dismissive, and quite full of himself. Because of this, Andy told the detective "I'd say I'm sorry for you, but you earned it." In episode , he and Provenza were on a drive-along with Buzz Watson on his first day as a Reserve Officer. Neither were happy that they missed the Fourth of July Dodgers game as a result which was described as "the game of the century", though everyone saw it on TV in Sharon's condo afterwards. When Rusty manages to identify Alice Herrera as Mariana Wallace in , Flynn is visibly displeased that Rusty left the death notification to Raydor. Despite this, he aids Rusty and Andrea Hobbs in their efforts to learn more about Mariana and secure Gustavo Wallace's cooperation in Mariana's murder trial. To this end, after learning that Gus wants custody of his little sister Paloma rather than their mother and abusive step-father, Flynn offers to conduct an unofficial search for Paloma so that she won't be immediately returned to her family or sent to foster care in Nevada. Flynn warns Rusty that while he will search, he can't be held responsible for the consequences that will come from locating Paloma. Flynn's search locates Paloma in a good foster home monitored by Rusty's old caseworker Cynthia. However, as Flynn predicted, there are consequences: if Gus identifies Paloma officially, she will be removed from the home and sent back to her mother and step-father or a new foster home in Nevada. Either option will destroy the new life Paloma has built for herself. Ultimately, a deal is established with Gus where in exchange for his testimony, he can't see Paloma until she's 18 when his presence in her life won't destroy the new life she built. Flynn attends Mariana's funeral and watches as the squad comforts Gus over the resolution that occurred to his search for his sisters. Flynn's testimony in Slider's trial for murdering Mariana is vital to his conviction and eventual death sentence. After an injury suffered during an arrest in , he starts having health problems caused by a blood clot in his carotid artery, which is a cause for great concern by Sharon on a professional and personal level. Because of these reasons, his doctor has ordered that he has to be monitored 24/7. He moves in with Sharon and Rusty. He will also be monitored by Patrice who was asked by Provenza to hang out with him when Sharon and Rusty are not home. After collapsing due to a dizzy spell near Thanksgiving, Flynn goes in for surgery on Thanksgiving Day to remove the blood clot which had moved to a more dangerous position near his ear as a result of the fall. Flynn survives the surgery and recovers. He moves back into his own place after a while and returns to work, but was restricted from field work until . During Season 5 of Major Crimes he started looking for a new house, which would be closer to work and Sharon. The two eventually decide to start looking for a bigger home where they could all live together, although Rusty seems to disagree with this decision. This is settled when he approaches Andy in "Skin Deep", asking if he will be in the way in the couple's new home and Andy assures him that he had not even considered that Rusty would not be there, and that they will bring him to see any house they are seriously considering. Following this, Rusty and Andy are shown to grow closer with Rusty becoming fully accepting and supportive of Andy and Sharon's relationship. In he took Provenza and Buzz to a possible house candidate as Sharon was busy with work and he wanted a second opinion from Provenza as well as wanting Buzz to film the house. As they go in, he speaks excitedly about the benefits of the place, including how it would work for Rusty, who he does not know is concerned about whether he would be welcome. During the house tour, Buzz spotted a person floating in the pool and that lead to a new investigation for the Major Crimes Division, during which Provenza made sure that nobody else would want to buy the house as Andy really wanted it. After the investigation, Andy and Sharon, along with Rusty, went to see the house in person and were ready to make an offer after they learned that Provenza's scare tactics had worked and nobody else was interested in the house. After they told the realtor that they would like to make an offer, he disclosed to them that the house was infested with Toxic Black Mold and stated that it was such an "opportunity" to just rip down the old walls and remodel the rooms into the house of their dreams and that there was a deal to be made there. Andy and Sharon were not impressed and when they left, Rusty noted to the realtor that if there would have been a deal to be made, Sharon would have made it. Andy later sells his house and moves in with Sharon and Rusty as he attempts to find a new one. Since then, he has been seen living with Sharon and Rusty in Sharon's condo. At the end of , Andy collapses to the office floor because of a heart attack and everyone rushes to aid him. In "Heart Failure", he is shown to have survived what is revealed to be a stress-induced heart attack and is on light duty until his doctor clears him for more. In , due to his condition, Flynn is forced to remain behind as the rest of the squad goes to the cemetery to try to stop Cristian Ortiz from bombing Albert Luna's family. As a result, Flynn can only watch helplessly with Rusty and Hobbs as everyone is bombed by Ortiz. Luckily, in , its revealed that everyone survived unharmed. As a result of Flynn not being at the cemetery, Ortiz is left unaware of his existence. Realizing this after learning that Ortiz is across the street at City Hall, Flynn sneaks out of the murder room and walks across the street undetected by either the squad or Ortiz. As Ortiz prepares to bomb the murder room, he is confronted by Flynn and several officers at gunpoint. Due to Ortiz being unarmed, Flynn is unable to shoot him on the spot, but his distraction gives Sharon enough time to locate the bomb and evacuate the murder room before Ortiz detonates his bomb. Flynn subdues Ortiz and is relieved to learn that everyone is unharmed, defending his actions by pointing out that he was just going across the street and Ortiz didn't know about him. In , it's revealed that Andy can resume field work but only when he is accompanied by his commanding officer. During the "Sanctuary City" arc, Andy is forced to deal with Sharon's declining health and their upcoming wedding. Andy finally marries Sharon in . However, Sharon's health continues to decline and she dies in , leaving Andy to basically collapse in grief. Following Sharon's death, Andy remains in residence in her condo as seen in which he is stated to have inherited with a lifetime occupancy attached. Following the death of DDA Emma Rios, Provenza reluctantly informs Andy that Phillip Stroh is back and asks for his help with letting Rusty know. Andy opposes Provenza's request for Rusty to help them solve the case, unwilling to place Rusty into danger when he'd promised Sharon to look after the boy. Andy reluctantly agrees to let Rusty help and though he is officially on bereavement leave, returns to work early to help catch Stroh once and for all. Along with investigating the murders, in and , Andy approves Gus staying at the condo for his own protection and even moving into Rusty's room. Andy also officially becomes the second in command of Major Crimes with Provenza taking over, a fact that continues to keep him out of the field. In , after Stroh is apparently located, Andy insists on going into the field despite his health problems and new responsibilities. Andy unequivocally states his intention to kill Phillip Stroh and believes that if Stroh threw his arms up in surrender, Provenza couldn't take the shot when Andy plans to no matter what. After Stroh is finally killed by Rusty, Andy comforts the young man over how Stroh's death, which Provenza took credit for, is justified. When Julio takes a promotion to Lieutenant and a transfer to Criminal Intelligence, Andy decides to take over Julio's old desk and to finish out his bereavement leave before coming back to work full-time. Officer-involved shootings * Bob Harris * The Sniper (alongside Lt. Tao, Det. Sanchez and Det. Sykes) Relationships Sharon Raydor When they first met, along with the rest of the squad, Andy didn't like Sharon at all. In he went so far as to draw her as the Wicked Witch of the West on the murder board. He was less than pleased when Sharon took over Major Crimes in and bickered with her about how Sharon's policies got a suspect killed, leading her to realize that the killer had to have known those policies which are unique in order to have effected the murder. Andy eventually started a "not dating" relationship with Sharon who had helped him start to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter Nicole. When Nicole got married, both Andy and her step-father, whom Flynn can't stand, walked her down the aisle. Because of this, Andy nearly didn't go, but Sharon convinced him otherwise, and even brought Sharon to the wedding. After that, Andy even asked her to join him for a play of The Nutcracker, in which Nicole's children were playing in. This causes Nicole to think they are dating but they insist they are not. However, as Rusty Beck points out, they are "not dating" several times a month now. He and Nicole clearly don't believe their assertions and when explaining how they are supposedly not dating, they seem stunned by the revelation of how much time they spend together in date-like environments. Flynn spends trying to get up the courage to ask Sharon on a real date which he does in the end. She accepts his offer. In , Flynn and Raydor officially announce their relationship to Assistant Chief Taylor who lets them continue as long as it doesn't create problems to their work. They also inform him their dating relationship is the "old fashioned" kind with Flynn commenting that its so old fashioned he's surprised they don't have a chaperone. When going into a surgery he might not survive, Flynn asks Provenza to tell Sharon he loves her if he doesn't make it. He later recovers in her condo until he's well enough to return home. At first, this causes some tension with Rusty, but he seems to come to accept Flynn's new role in his life. In , Andy attempts to surprise Sharon with Rusty's help so he can propose to her. After his extravagant plans are interrupted by a murder investigation, Andy goes with a simpler idea set up by Rusty and Gus. At the end of the episode, Andy proposes to Sharon who's mouth can be seen to drop open in shock. Sharon accepts his proposal, but the two keep it a secret from all but Rusty who tells Sharon's children. In , the secret comes out when Ricky arrives to congratulate Sharon and accidentally announces it in the squad room. However, to get married in the Catholic Church, both Sharon and Andy must get annulments of their first marriages and Sharon wishes for Andy to come upon the idea on his own. Instead, Rusty and Ricky contact Andy's ex-wife Sandra who files for the annulment for him, enabling the two to get married. When Sharon collapsed at the end of when she was angrily shouting at the FBI, Andy accompanied her to the hospital, where he was subsequently asked to leave the treatment room (along with Provenza and Rusty) when the doctor came to give Sharon her diagnosis. Later at the apartment, Andy and Sharon had a "heart-to-heart", where they discussed Sharon's diagnosis, which was revealed to be cardiomyopathy, a virus that is attacking the lining of her heart. While Sharon wanted to postpone their wedding claiming it wasn't fair for Andy, he did not share her thoughts stating that if they are not going to let Andy's heart get in the way of the marriage, they aren't going to let Sharon's heart do it either. The only change Andy was willing to make was to skip the honeymoon, until they understand exactly what it is they're up against. In , Andy marries Sharon during a ceremony at St. Joseph of Nazareth's. Rusty Beck Flynn was initially not very fond of Rusty. When Rusty shows up at the hospital complaining about being dragged out of bed at the beginning of , Flynn calls Rusty "the little psycho" to Sharon. He was later willing to donate money to bring Sharon Beck to town if it would get rid of Rusty and pushed the other members of the squad to give the needed money. Along with Buzz, he was one of two members of the squad who were vocal in their desire to get rid of Rusty. However, Flynn still took Rusty to meet his mother's bus and was sympathetic when Rusty learned his mother had ran off on him again. Flynn eventually started to warm up to Rusty, standing with him against Daniel Dunn and suggesting the squad sign on as witnesses to Dunn signing away his parental rights to the boy. Following that, Flynn is shown to have grown fond of Rusty and is supportive of him. When Rusty comes out as gay, Flynn is not surprised, making a half-serious comment about getting over the shock which Julio snorts in laughter at. Rusty is shown to be comfortable enough with Flynn to openly tease him and Sharon about their relationship with his daughter Nicole. However, Rusty becomes somewhat colder to Flynn following him starting to date Sharon, mostly out of worry about Sharon's safety which Flynn is understanding of. When Flynn is injured, Rusty even volunteers his room for Flynn to sleep in and looks after him as he needs someone due to the nature of his injuries. Sharon later has Rusty keep an eye on Flynn and Provenza as they fill out medical forms and its suggested he is there to make sure Provenza doesn't go too far. When Rusty does his stories on Alice Herrera and Slider, Flynn is supportive and even gives Rusty advice that leads to Rusty discovering Slider's inability to read. However, while the rest of the squad is proud that Rusty identifies Alice as Mariana Wallace and locates her brother Gus, Flynn is shown to be disappointed that Rusty left telling Gus about Mariana's death to Sharon, shaking his head and commenting "hell of a job" while looking into Sharon's office where she and Gus are. When he is searching for a house after selling his apartment, his description of the place to Provenza shows that he has seriously considered "the kid" in his search, and excitedly talking of all three of them being there, and is surprised when Rusty asks him if he would be in the way when he and his mom move in together. He promises that he doesn't want him to leave his mom, and that he will see any home. Andy begins giving Rusty advice for dealing with his mom, supporting both of their wants and needs (such as advising him not to press Sharon to be allowed to view an interview, because she is under a lot of stress, but to be in her line of sight looking sad when they go in to start). When Rusty asks him if he can ask a very personal question, Andy only asks if it's about Rusty and Gus before agreeing, and then being very open about his experience as a recovering alcoholic and how his work and his personal relationships are too important to risk a drink. By Rusty has come to trust Andy to the point that he turns to him to help convince Sharon to allow Rusty get a permit to carry a concealed weapon. While Andy refuses to debate Rusty's constitutional rights with relation to carrying a weapon and thinks his idea is insane, he hears him out. Afterwards, Andy agrees to plead Rusty's case to Sharon despite his own misgivings about the plan. Andy does so so quickly that Rusty is surprised when Sharon tells him about it. He also took Rusty to the LAPD firing range when Sharon was unable to do so herself. In , after learning of Sharon's death, Andy and Rusty comfort each other over their grief. Following Sharon's death, Andy continues to act as a father to Rusty. When Provenza asks for Rusty's help against Phillip Stroh in , Andy refuses to put Rusty into danger as he promised Sharon that he would protect Rusty for her no matter what. Rusty comforts Andy and convinces him to help. Notes *Flynn is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for over 15 years. *In Andy depicted his future wife Captain Sharon Raydor as the Wicked Witch of the West on the murder board. *Flynn is divorced. In he explains to Rusty Beck and Ricky Raydor that he and his first wife Sandra married too young which Andy went for as his mother was getting older and wanted grandchildren. However, when his children were born, he wasn't ready for it and as a result, drank too much and made mistakes, causing his children to grow up without a father. At the same time, Sandra was raising the children alone, working full time and trying to love him. Andy admits to Ricky and Rusty that while its "letting me off the hook a lot", he was emotionally unprepared for marriage. *Flynn's sister had cancer. *Flynn gets very emotionally invested in the Alice Herrera case, getting sarcastic at Joanna Cass' lack of knowledge of her employee and angry when Hobbs intends to offer a deal of twenty years to life in prison on a second degree murder charge when they have more than enough to charge Slider with first degree murder and attempted murder. Afterwards, Flynn organizes a small memorial service for Alice as they can't identify her, telling everyone they don't all have to go but he felt he should organize it as he hates the lack of closure in her case. Provenza just tells him they all agree with his sentiments on the matter. After Alice is identified as Mariana Wallace, Flynn aids Hobbs and Rusty in dealing with Mariana's brother Gus, housing Gus when he has nowhere to go and offering to help Gus with his search for his missing sister Paloma. As finding Paloma officially will result in her going back to her parents or a foster home in Nevada, Flynn offers to do it unofficially. Rusty's support (given after Rusty tells Flynn that this needs to be a serious promise if Andy is going to be a bigger part of his life, referring to the newly official relationship with his mother) gets Gus' agreement, but Flynn warns that he can't be held responsible for the consequences that will come from finding Paloma. He later locates Paloma for Gus and attends Mariana's funeral, helping to assure Gus that the outcome is the best one they can get. He later testifies at Slider's trial for Mariana's murder and provides crucial testimony in the case, demonstrating how easily Mariana could've been drowned in just a minute's time. Rusty later states that he believes that Flynn's testimony will get the jury to convict Slider which they ultimately do. *Flynn is shown to have a hatred for Slider for murdering Mariana Wallace. While he helps Rusty in his story on Slider sometimes, Flynn always shows disgust towards Slider and more often than not refers to him as "that dirtbag Slider" when discussing him in conversation. Trivia *In , while Tao is amused by a missing girl's friend flirting with the taken-aback Rusty, Flynn is not amused and gives Rusty a pointed look though he doesn't seem surprised by the flirting. When Rusty comes out as gay at the end of the episode, Flynn is clearly not surprised by the news. Career Information *Andy's badge number is 2805. *When in uniform, Flynn wears six service stripes on his uniform. Each stripe represents five years of service in the LAPD, meaning he has served for 30-34 years. *Medals and service awards worn by Lt. Flynn: Gallery * Gallery: Andy Flynn Category:Characters Category:The Closer Category:Major Crimes Category:LAPD Category:Robbery-Homicide Category:Major Crimes Division